So has anyone but me noticed the recent glut of cover songs on the radio these days? I mean, what's happening? Our beloved popular musicians have been body-snatched by a bunch of bar-band aliens.

I mean ... "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" by Sugar Ray. "Big Yellow Yaxi" by Counting Crows. "Don't Dream It's Over" by Sixpence the mothertrucking Richer. "Boys of Summer" by one of the multitude of soundalike vaguely grunge crap-bands. Oh, yeah, and "Shout" by one of those faceless industrioheavymetal mutant soundalike bands.

What a load. If I were conspiracy-minded (and I indeed am, when it comes to major record labels. There's a special circle of hell reserved for them, in my opinion), I'd say that the big labels told these guys to do it because cover tunes are more instantly memorable, in an effort to revive flagging record sales at the expense of creativity.

The sooner online trading breaks the back of the music oligarchy and puts it back into the hands of small, laboring-in-the-back-room artists, the better. Keep the face, brothers and sisters! Solidarity! Our day will come!

*The Internationale plays*

(wait, is that the Dave Matthews Band playing The Internationale?! *scream of terror*)